On March 17, representatives of the Ministry for the Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, the EU Delegation to Ukraine, as well as the Energy Efficiency Fund visited Irpin, where they saw the first houses restored under the “VidnovyDIM” Program.

“Given the high need for urgent restoration of the housing sector damaged as a result of russian aggression against Ukraine, we decided to launch the “VidnovyDIM” Program, which reimburses 100% of the costs for repairing apartment buildings. This program currently operates in six regions, provides full financing for housing restoration and allows people to return to their houses in improved living conditions. In addition, it helps to revive the local economy, which is extremely important during the war,” commented Chloe Allio, Head of Economic Cooperation, Energy, Infrastructure and Environment at the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

The “VidnovyDIM” Program was a quick response to the destruction that Kyiv region suffered during the offensive of russian troops and the subsequent temporary occupation. Hundreds of houses are partially or completely destroyed – this situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible. The Program, which is designed to help restore houses as quickly as possible, finances 100% of construction works and materials necessary for their implementation.

The Homeowners Associations “Zatyshnyi” and “RC Novo-Oskolskyi” from the city of Irpin applied for participation in the Program immediately after its launch in November 2022. In just two months, the restoration works in four houses were completed, and the residents were able to return to their homes.

As a result of hostilities, the façades and thermal insulation of the walls were damaged, window and door frames were deformed, interior partitions and the staircase were partially destroyed in Irpin seven-story buildings built in 2014 (“Novo-Oskolskyi residential complex”). Within the framework of participation in the “VidnovyDIM” Program, two houses received grants for a total amount of more than UAH 7 million. With these funds, façades were repaired, destroyed engineering systems were restored, window and balcony door units, external and internal vestibule doors were replaced. The six-story houses of the “Zatyshnyi” residential complex in Irpin, built in 2017, also suffered damage – destruction and cracking of the thermal insulation of external walls, individual window and door frames, double-glazed windows, holes and cracks in the plaster. For restoration, two houses received grants in the amount of over UAH 5.5 million.

“Today we see the first results of the implementation of the “VidnovyDIM” Program, which, thanks to partners from the EU, we managed to launch in the shortest possible time,” noted Yehor Fareniuk, director of the Energy Efficiency Fund. — “Currently, the Program is financed exclusively from the donor funds of the European Union. This is extremely important support for Ukraine, especially in this difficult time for us. We have already received approximately 70 applications from HOAs from different regions to participate in the Program, which is 5,000 Ukrainian families who, thanks to such support, will be able to restore their houses and return to normal life. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to our partners from the European Union for their assistance and reliable long-term cooperation. I also thank the HOAs for their proactivity, endurance and perseverance in achieving the result – you are the true heroes of our time.”

During the working trip, the delegation talked with the co-owners of the first restored houses, who promptly responded to the launch of the new program and submitted all the necessary documents to the Energy Efficiency Fund. The mechanism of the “VidnovyDIM” Program — an advance at the level of 70% — made it possible to quickly purchase the necessary materials and start work. Today, they live in their own homes, and residents of apartments that burned down during enemy shelling are making repairs in restored safe houses.

“Cooperation with the European Union within the framework of the “VidnovyDIM” Program demonstrates how effective and fast donor assistance can be in housing restoration,” said Oleksandr Butenko, Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine. — “It is important that the restoration of both residential complexes took into account modern requirements for energy efficiency and civil safety. We are convinced that during reconstruction it is necessary to make the housing infrastructure better, safer and more energy-efficient. I thank the European partners and colleagues from the Energy Efficiency Fund for their cooperation. I am convinced that we will be able to scale the successful experience of restoring houses in Irpin to other regions of Ukraine.”

The “VidnovyDIM” Program has already expanded its geography – today Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk regions and the city of Kyiv can take part in it. The maximum amount of the grant that can be received by one restoration object has also increased since the start of the Program — from UAH 6 to 7.2 million. In total, the European Union allocated EUR 25 million for the implementation of the Program (in particular, EUR 5 million for the pilot stage, which is being implemented now). Yehor Fareniuk said that “VidnovyDIM” is popular not only among buildings in which HOAs have been created. The Energy Efficiency Fund is increasingly receiving requests regarding the need to restore damaged housing from residents of buildings that have other forms of management. Therefore, the discussion of extending the Program to various forms of housing stock management, as well as adding the energy efficiency component to it, is currently relevant.

Currently, the Energy Efficiency Fund invites residents of buildings in which HOAs were created and which were destroyed during hostilities to participate in the Program. Specialists of the institution provide the Program participants with the necessary explanations and advise during its implementation. The synergy of the Fund, the European Union and the state is helping to rebuild the country.